Welcome to 1st Grade! 2019- 2020

Come to School! Good attendance = success at school! *First graders can start reporting to Coach Kauffman’s gym every morning beginning at 7:00. Teachers pick up from the gym at 7:30. *If your child arrives after 7:50, the doors will be locked, and you will have to utilize the buzz-in system to gain access to the office. *Parents will not be able to drop off children in the back of the school.

Dismissal *Dismissal is at 2:55, and you must have a car rider tag that matches your child’s backpack tag. *All car riders must be picked up in the front car rider line. *Please send a SEPARATE NOTE or call the office before 2:00 if your child is going home a different way than usual. *Email is not a reliable form of communication for last minute dismissal changes. *If picking up your child early, you must be in the office before 2:30.

Visitors and Volunteers *Our school policy requires all visitors and volunteers to buzz-in and then check in at the front office. Visitor badges are required if you are entering the building. *Anyone that wishes to help in the classroom or go on field trips must be DPS cleared. *We love celebrating birthdays! If you plan on sending in a store bought treat, please contact your child’s teacher in advance. We have our birthday celebrations at 2:40.

Grades *First grade does administer grades. *Please register on Parent Portal to access your child’s grades. *Redo/retest will be offered for a failing grade. *Maximum grade for a redo/retest is 70%. *Visit the TEA website at www.tea.state.tx.us/teks to access first grade TEKS. For NEISD’s grading policy, visit the NEISD website in the Parents section.

District Assessments *Our reading and math district assessments will be through a new program called MAP. By dynamically adjusting to each student’s responses, MAP Growth creates a personalized assessment experience that accurately measures performance. *MAP assessments will take place at the beginning, middle, and end of the year.

Just Read! *It is imperative to the success of your child that they read EVERY night. This reinforces the skills taught in the classroom and promotes fluency.

Instructional Reading Level Expectations Students typically enter first grade reading at level D or E. By the end of the year, they are expected to read at a level J.

10 Frames First graders are active not only in learning number facts to ten and twenty, but also building "number sense" by using manipulatives, pictures and ten frames to better understand numbers.

Communication Binder *The communication binder will act as a daily reflection of your child’s day. This needs to be initialed every night. *If a child receives a “mark” for not using the school leadership expectations, it will be recorded in the box for that day.

Homework *Reading logs will be passed out each month and kept in communication binders. Students are expected to read for 20 minutes at least five times per week. *On the back of the reading log each month, students will have a blank math facts worksheet that needs to be filled out and studied all month long. *At the end of the month, students will receive a classroom reward for a completed reading log and math fact sheet.

Newsletters *Our first grade newsletter will be emailed every Friday after school. *This is where important dates, upcoming TEKS, and word wall words for the next spelling test can be found.

Thank You! I look forward to working with you and your child this year. It will be a year of wonderful things ahead at the greatest school on earth!